Surebleak
(Map is interpretive, fan-made,for non-profit common use) Birthplace of Miri Robertson Tiazan. Home to Clan Korval after banishment (escape?) from Liad. Location *Surebleak is a planet in the Daiellen Sector, known for bleak (cold) weather and a Wild West atmosphere of lawlessness. Ghost Ship, ch 33 *The planet has two Tidal moons: Triga and Toppa.Moon on the Hills *The planet is off the beaten path and the spaceport is low-tier by guild standards, but "there are three solid mid-level routes through that sector" so a trading loop is conceivableI Dare, Day 59, Standard Year 1393 including a possible trading loop from Tradedesk Dragon Ship, ch 18 *Surebleak's spaceport is located just outside Port City Skyblaze History *Settled over a hundred years ago by a timonium mining company -- The Gilmour Agency -- which abandoned the planet and settlers when a newly discovered, richer, and more accessible timonium source became available in an asteroid belt. I Dare, ch 46 and Moon on the Hills) *Gilmour Agency may have left Surebleak about 175 years ago. Rebus Marks, an older man himself, shows the ID card for his grandpa's grandpa, an economist for Gilmour Agency. Dragon in Exile, ch 16 Government *After the Gilmour Agency abruptly evacuated, Surebleak government began to fall apart. Social systems eventually failed, including medical care when 'Bleakers couldn't pay the renewal fee for the galaxy-wide Health Net. Government completely collapsed when a plague struck the city, causing fear, death, chaos. I Dare, Day 309, Standard Year 1392, Blair Road *So, Port City was divided into turfs, overseen by Bosses. Each turf ran through the Port Road at some point. *Taxes: Bosses used tollgates to block access to the Port Road, allowing passage upon payment. Bosses also collected "insurance" fees from all businesses within their turf. In some turfs, the mandatory insurance payment was punitively exorbitant. I Dare, Day 307, Standard Year 1392, Blair Road *Systemic problems: In rough turfs, folks tended to seize control by killing the seated boss. Thus, bosses and their "hands" were those most willing and able to take and hold power -- regardless of whether they knew what to do with it. **Some bosses (Melina Sherton, Penn Kalhoon, Ira Gabriel, etc.) sincerely tried to care for their turfs, providing limited schooling, local health care, water treatment, etc. But with the Port Road blocked at each turf boundary, it was difficult for responsible bosses to communicate, much less collaborate. *There has recently been some improvement since Boss Conrad brought about the establishment of the Affiliation of Surebleak Bosses. **Jonni Conrad (Pat Rin yos'Phelium) wanted a council-based leadership system, but the associated bosses promptly made him the Boss Boss: "His fellow bosses, however, had insisted that there must be one Head Boss...and he had bowed to that, seeing that this was the model they understood."I Dare, Day 44, Standard Year 1393, Surebleak *When Clan Korval settled on Surebleak, the Delms agreed to protect and repair the Port Road. Val Con and Miri are the "Road Boss" with a "newly constructed office at the port."Dragon in Exile, ch 1 Korval Homes on Surebleak *Korval's clan-home on Surebleak is called Jelaza Kazone. (House details at link). It stands outside the only mentioned settlement (referred to as Port City in the short story "Skyblaze").Skyblaze *Jelaza Kazone, house and grounds, fill an old timonium quarry at the far end of the Port Road, in an area dubbed "The End of the World." The clan's nearest neighbor is Yulie Shaper, a farmer. Moon on the HillsGhost Ship * The original ship of the migration, Quick Passage, lies beneath the house, connected to the basement / cellars. It is used as a shelter, library, nav/com, etc. Dragon in Exile, ch 37 *In the Dragon in Exile timeline, residents include the Delm and Delmae (Val Con and Miri), baby Talizea, Anthora yos'Galan, her toddler twins, her lifemate Ren Zel dea'Judan. Shan yos'Galan, his daughter Padi, and his life mate Priscilla live here temporarily, too, when not traveling on Dutiful Passage. Additional residents include Nelirikk Explorer, Diglon Rifle and his wife Alara, Jeeves the Security Bot, Mr. pel'Kana the butler, Mrs. pel'Esla in the nursery, Mrs. ana'Tak the cook, etc.Dragon in Exile *Shan and Priscilla yos'Gallen are "buying" an island from Yulie Shaper, for the yos'Galan house building site. The grounds will shelter two new saplings from Tree. Dragon in Exile, epilogue *Pat Rin yos'Phelium (Boss Conrad) lives on Blair Road in Port City with his lifemate Natesa, his son Quin, his father Luken, his "hand" Cheever McFarland, butler Mr. pel'Tolian, etc. I Dare Dragon in Exile *Lady Kareen yos'Phelium lives in Port City on the corner of Dudley Avenue and Farley Lane, along with her colleagues Professor Kamele Waitley and Scout historian vey'Loffit. For security, she has Hazenthull Explorer, and "head hand" Gert Jazdak, bodyguards Dafydil (Dilly) and Amiz, the cook Esil Lang, etc. Dragon in Exile, ch. 17 *Nova yos'Galan lives in Port City on Blair Road with her son Syl Vor, her foster daughter Kezzi of the Bedel (occasionally), her "hand" Mike Golden, the cook Beck, and various house staff. Necessity's Child *Luken bel'Tarda lives in Port City, managing his two rug shops (primary shop at the port, and the Port Annex shop on Blair Road. Dragon in Exile, ch 4 He spends much time across the street with Audrey at her "House of Joy" on Blair Road Dragon in Exile, ch 2 Bosses (an incomplete list) * Abram"Fighting Chance" * Victor Armhaut (M) - Conklin (before Conrad started cleaning up)I Dare, ch 36 * Jonni Conrad (M) - Blair Road * Josh Cruther (M) - Arcadja Alleys''I Dare'', ch 36 * Deacon (M) - a turf neighboring Blair Road (before Conrad started cleaning up)I Dare, ch 25 * Engle''Necessity's Child'', ch 33 * Fortunato''Dragon in Exile'', ch 21 * Ira Gabriel (M) - turf near the far end of the Port Road, next in from Sherton's''I Dare'', ch 30 * Goyan - turf neighboring Rinehart's (before Conrad started cleaning up)"Chimera" * Henrick - one of the Bosses who donated part of their turf to create Blair Road Turf''I Dare'', ch 18 * Iverness - one of the bosses cleaned up by Conrad, according to Lionel Smealy''Dragon in Exile'', ch 15 (possibly he's thinking of Boss Ivernet?) * Ivernet (M) - Industry Street (before Conrad started cleaning up)I Dare, ch 27 * Voral Jene (F) - Gough Street (before Conrad started cleaning up)I Dare, ch 36 * Penn Kalhoon (M) - Hamilton Street * Latimer - Hamilton Street (a predecessor of Boss Kalhoon)"Fighting Chance" * Marriot''Necessity's Child'', ch 19 * Nort Moran (M) - Blair Road (Boss Conrad's predecessor)I Dare, ch 18 * Ostay - Hamilton Street (Boss Kalhoon's immediate predecessor)Dragon in Exile, ch 15 * Peterman - Hamilton Street (a predecessor of Boss Latimer)"Fighting Chance" * Randall - Blair Road (Boss Vindal's predecessor)I Dare, ch 18 * Rinehart - turf neighboring Goyan's"Chimera" * Fran Schomaker - Gilly Street''Dragon in Exile'', ch 16 * Schroeder (M)Necessity's Child, ch 10''Necessity's Child'', ch 33 * Melina Sherton (F) - turf at the far end of the Port Road, where the city meets the farmland''I Dare'', ch 30 * Tiede - one of the Bosses who donated part of their turf to create Blair Road Turf''I Dare'', ch 18 * Tourin (M) - Blair Road (first Boss of Blair Road Turf; Boss Randall's predecessor)I Dare, ch 18 * Wentworth (M)Necessity's Child, ch 29 - Jopha Road''Necessity's Child'', ch 14 * Whitman (F) - turf on the Port Road between Conrad's and Kalhoon's''Ghost Ship'', ch 8''Ghost Ship'', ch 25 * Elva Whitmore''I Dare'', ch 40 * Vindal (F) - Blair Road (Boss Moran's predecessor)I Dare, ch 18 * Vine (M) - turf nearest the Spaceport''I Dare'', ch 35''Ghost Ship'', ch 8 Port Road Runs from the Spaceport out to World's End, where the timonium diggings used to be (and Jelaza Kazone now is).Moon on the Hills Travelling by the Port Road, there are five tollbooths between the Spaceport and Penn Kalhoon's turf, then a further five tollbooths between there and Jelaza Kazone. The first turf near the Spaceport is Boss Vine's. The next turf out from Boss Kalhoon's is Boss Whitman's, and the next turf out from that is Boss Conrad's. The last turf before the end of the Road is Melina Sherton's.Ghost Ship, ch 8 The next turf in from that is Ira Gabriel's.Moon on the Hills School The Consolidated School is located at the meeting of four turfs, held by Bosses Conrad, Kalhoon, Schroeder and Engle.Necessity's Child, ch 33 Seasons *There may be a discrepancy I Dare On Day 31 of Standard Year 1393, it is "high summer".I Dare, ch 40 Ghost Ship When Jelaza Kazone first arrived on Surebleak, shortly after Day 201 of the same year, it was not yet spring.Ghost Ship, ch 24 In due course, there was spring,Ghost Ship, ch 15 followed by late spring.Ghost Ship, ch 24 The gather held for all the Bosses at Jelaza Kazone took place "a matter of local weeks" before the onset of summer.Ghost Ship ch 27 When Val Con was called to deal with the trouble on Vandar, it was still spring.Ghost Ship, ch 39 Necessity's Child A few days after (that's after) the gather held for all the bosses, it is "very nearly spring".Necessity's Child, ch 5 Dragon Ship When the Uncle's message about Daav reaches Surebleak, it is summer.Dragon Ship, ch 27 Dragon in Exile Begins on a "supposed summer evening".Dragon in Exile, Prologue It continues to be summer in subsequent chapters. When Lionel Smealy meets the Road Boss, it is "mid-summer".Dragon in Exile, ch 15 "The days were growing cool again" just before Sherman's shooting competition.Dragon in Exile, ch 38 In the epilogue, Yulie says that in "'Nother ten or twelve days we'll be seeing autumn".Dragon in Exile, epilogue Street Cred "The season, so he'd been told, was early autumn""Street Cred" The Rifle's First Wife It’s early spring – “winter having been gone some weeks now”."The Rifle's First Wife (Lizzie's age indicates that it's a subsequent spring to the one in Ghost Ship; Alara's situation, that it's before the end of Dragon in Exile. Perhaps it's the spring mentioned in Necessity's Child.). -- Well as to that, it cannot be the Spring mentioned in Necessity's Child, because baby Talizea isn't born until the epilogue, where Syl Vor tells Nova: "I'm happy to make the acquaintance of my new cousin Talizea, but I'll be very happy to go home again." References Category:Planets